A group of international legal experts has formally threatened to drag the Nigerian government to courts in the United Kingdom over the continued detention of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
In a pre-litigation notice dated April 14, 2026, addressed to President Bola Tinubu, the legal body known as Pan African Forum & Associates warned that unless the Federal Government complies with a 2022 United Nations directive, it will initiate enforcement proceedings in London courts.
A source close to the legal team confirmed to us that the Nigerian government has 72 hours to act before proceedings begin.
The statement reads in part:
1. We write as voluntary legal experts in international law, having voluntarily assumed the conduct of this matter, and hereby give formal notice of our intention to pursue all available legal avenues, including proceedings in the London courts, to enforce compliance with binding United Nations directives.
2. In July 2022, the United Nations Human Rights Council, through a landmark Opinion issued by its Working Group, directed the Buhari-led Government of Nigeria to release Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and to provide him with an enforceable pathway to compensation for his unlawful and extraordinary rendition from Kenya to Nigeria in June 2021.
3. The 17-page Opinion, in its disposition (conclusion), unequivocally states: “The Working Group considers that, taking into account all the circumstances of the case, the appropriate remedy would be for the Government of Nigeria to release Mr. Kanu immediately and accord him an enforceable right to compensation and other reparations, in accordance with international law.”
4. The Working Group of the United Nations Human Rights Council is a quasi-judicial body duly mandated to receive and determine human rights complaints against member states. Its decisions (termed “Opinions”) are binding on all member states of the United Nations, including Nigeria.
5. Nigeria’s obligations in this matter are further reinforced by its ratification of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, both domesticated pursuant to Section 12 of the Nigerian Constitution. These instruments impose clear, enforceable legal duties on the Nigerian State.
6. By settled constitutional and judicial authority, including decisions of the Supreme Court of Nigeria and competent international tribunals, ratification renders Nigeria fully bound by the provisions of the treaties it has adopted. This legal position is incontrovertible.
7. Accordingly, Nigeria is under a continuing and unequivocal obligation to comply with the aforesaid United Nations decision in both letter and spirit. The failure to do so constitutes an ongoing breach of its international legal obligations.
8. The Opinion, issued on 20 July 2022 and transmitted to the Government of Nigeria on 22 July 2022, was willfully disregarded by the previous administration. That non-compliance, however, does not extinguish the subsisting legal obligation now binding on your administration.
9. Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has, for over three and a half years, been subjected to detention devoid of lawful justification under both domestic and international law. This continuing violation exposes the Nigerian State to significant legal consequences, including international enforcement actions.
10. TAKE NOTICE that, unless immediate steps are taken to comply fully with the United Nations directive—specifically the unconditional release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and the provision of appropriate reparations—we shall, without further recourse to you, initiate appropriate legal enforcement proceedings in competent jurisdictions, including but not limited to the courts in London, to compel compliance and seek redress.
11. This letter constitutes a final opportunity for the Federal Government of Nigeria to resolve this matter without recourse to heavy litigation. Nothing herein shall be construed as a waiver of any rights or remedies available to our client under international law.
